The present invention relates to an electrophysiology apparatus, or a combination of an electrophysiology catheter (herein after called "EP catheter") and a guide wire for guiding the EP catheter.
The EP catheter is introduced into a heart of a patient through a blood vessel to access electrical activities within the heart, so that informations for allowing therapeutic interventions are obtained. In one of the conventional EP catheters, a hollow lumen is provided with circular electrodes at a front end of the lumen. Electric conductive leads connected to the electrodes pass inside the lumen and are connected to a suitable machine located outside the patient.
When the EP catheter is used, the catheter is introduced into a desired location of a patient through a blood vessel. Then, electricity is conducted through the electrodes to obtain necessary informations.
However, after the EP catheter is disposed in the blood vessel, it may be required to change a different EP catheter, for example to change the size of the EP catheter or number of the electrodes. In the conventional apparatus, in this situation, the EP catheter must be withdrawn and a new catheter must be inserted again. This exchange takes time and may cause damage to the blood vessel of the patient.
Further, in case the electrodes of the catheter do not properly contact an inside of the blood vessel, the proper electric signal may not be obtained. In this case, the EP catheter must be set or moved once again.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,129, a short tube for guiding a guide wire is attached to the distal end of a long tube having a balloon, wherein a fluid is introduced into the balloon through the long tube. However, no guide system is introduced into the conventional EP catheter.
Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide an EP catheter having a guide wire to easily exchange the EP catheter as desired.
Another object of the invention is to provide an EP catheter as stated above, wherein lead wires for the electrodes are not substantially electrically affected by the guide wire.
A further object of the invention is to provide an EP catheter as stated above, wherein electrodes attached to the EP catheter can be securely contacted to an inner surface of a blood vessel.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.